Open House: What's Your Home's Pet Policy?

Open House: What's Your Home's Pet Policy?

My husband and I share our house with two dogs, which means a lot more vacuuming and dusting than nonpet people experience in their homes. We try to keep things tidier by keeping the pups off of furniture. However, they have full run of the house, hang out in every room, and even keep us company while we're cooking in the kitchen.

Since they have good manners, I don't mind having them underfoot, but I know that some families keep their dogs relegated to certain areas of the house or even crate them for much of the time that they're home.

So tell me, do you have dogs, cats, or other indoor pets? Do you let them up on your sofa or bed? What's your house's pet policy?

Good day, I'm an outdoors person and love animals (pets)....We have a dog and I spend alot of time with him in the woods....I believe animals need to live outdoors as is their natural habitat and have no place indoors unless under very special conditions....Our family enjoys a clean living area which is easily maintained....If you introduce pets to indoor living it make cleanup much more detailed and takes freedoms away for the animal such as playing outdoors and being able to potty at will....Nice outdoor homes can be easily built for the animals that the enjoy bedding in and taking shelter.....Makes live easier and our dog is very happy.....Cheers

The dog's not allowed in the bedrooms or the bathroom. I really don't need the dog hair in my bed. She's also not allowed on the couch...but she's well aware of the fact that I can't do anything about it while not at home. At night she waits about half an hour after we went to bed to jump up on the couch...She won that battle. I gave up...

2 cats, and they are allowed wherever they want. Not like we could keep them off anything anyways! Yeah...the couch back has a dent from where they like to sleep, and they jump on the counters and the tables as well.
I'm pretty much a neat freek so Im always wiping the surfaces down and I vacuum all the time. IMO cat hairs make everything extra special ;)
They are my babies so they have free reign.

We have four cats and they lounge all over with us. We don't allow them in the extra bedroom or den unless we are in there and we have also discussed locking them out of the bedroom at night. We tried it once and haven't tried it again.

7 cats, 2 dogs... they go where they want. We'll keep em out of one of the guest bedrooms if someone we know is allergic is coming to visit, and they're not allowed on the table while people are eating (though the border collie does sometimes get to sit in a chair at the table for grins).

I have a rottweiler/chow mix, and he's allowed anywhere and everywhere. He doesn't really like to get on the furniture though, even if he's bribed to hop up, so it's not a big deal. Roomba is definitely our friend, though.

My dogs go everywhere in the house except for the bedrooms because they're carpeted and they could possibly have an accident in there and it would be hard to clean up but they go everywhere else, upstairs and down. I do allow them on the furniture they both love the couches, I've bought dog beds for them but they don't use them they think the couches are their beds! I wouldn't have it any other way they're my babies! If it wasn't for my husband minding they would be in the bed with me too! :)

5 years

Sadie, our mini-poodle, and Lily, our boxer have full access to the house except for the guest room. Sometimes they break in there, and we find the evidence - broken bits of chewies left on the guest bed. We tidy up with a hand held vacuum every day. Luckily they do not shed much.

I have an indoor/outdoor cat and a Saint Bernard. He is too big to even fit on the couch! He's pretty lazy so he spends most of his time on his dog bed, which I custom made out of egg-crate foam mattress pads, 2 vinyl shower curtains (because the drool soaks through pretty fast), and a washable duvet cover to match our decor. :)

My dog Annie (miniature Italian greyhound)usually sleeps with us under the covers. I'm her human. Fred (basset hound) usually sleeps with my son or unless it's storming then it's with us. My SO is Fred's human. Skip sleeps with my son because that's his human.

Zena is allowed...everywhere. She's allowed up on the furniture, the beds, everywhere. She avoids the bathrooms normally so we have no qualms. Yes, it's a little irritating when your perfectly made bed is messed up by her but I deal.

My dog has the run of the house, unless my boyfriend is over, then she can't come in the bedroom at night (if he gets out of bed she'll try to phyically block him from getting back in). She doesn't get on the bed very often, lol when I'm cold I try to lure her into bed with me! On another note - if your animal is crated most of the time you are home, maybe you should get a fish instead.

My husband and I have a 5 month old lab. We started out with rules about the furniture/bed, but he's too cute to resist!! He snuggles on the couch, but we're working on keeping him off the bed. I'm constantly vacuuming the floors and couch to keep clean.

My indoor cat has full reign of the house. He's a charming cat, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

5 years

two dogs and a cat here. the hubby and i pretend we have rules about the furniture...but truth is: we always invite them up for a snuggle. during the day, when we're not home, they have one floor of the house to themselves.

Our dog has full reign, but is not allowed on the furniture except very, very occasionally on the bed if we're just in there watching TV and not sleeping. We do have to vacuum a lot though because her black fur makes our light colored carpets look dingy if we don't.